Machine for making covered buttons



Fly. 4.

Ww@ Immer,

'l 'UNITED STATES ArtNr trice.,

MACHINE FOR- MAKING COVERED BUTTONS.l

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. @$9,450. dated April 27, 1869.

To ctZZ 1071/0777/ t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. WADE, of

Medford, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Machine for Making Covered Buttons and other Similar Articles; and Ido hereby declare that the following is a'i'ull, clear, and exact description ofthe construction and mode of operation of the same, taken in connection with the4 accompanying drawings, making a part of this speciiieation, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine.

. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same with a part in horizontal section above the bed. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section through the piane of the driving-shaft, looking upward. Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section through the center of the driving-shaft. Fig. 6 is a detail showing the back side of the piston. Figs. 7,8, 9,10, l1, and 12 are sectional views of' the formingdies, showing their various operations in the process of forming ,the button. 14 are sectional views o f the same, with the guiding-rings used in making another kind of button. Figs. 15 and 16 are two sectional views of two kinds of button made by the machine.

My invention relates to the construction of a machine for automatically making covered buttons, so called, from the separate pieces of material of which they are composed. rlhe. general plan of the organization of the machine may be said to consist in the employment of a revolving duplex series of composite or changeableA bed-dies, one half of which are adapted to make the back parts of the but# tons, and the other half to make the face parts, and which,` by the intermittent rotation of the series, are brought in succession to co-operate with two pistons carrying cor.- responding changeable dies, so that by their joint and interchangeable cooperation, when the separate pieces or blanks of which the button is composed are placed upon their appropriate dies, they will be automatically carried forward, formed .to shape, put together, and secured and delivered in a finished condition, without being released from the control of the said dies and manual intervention. The several movements of the bed-dies and their operations in concert with dies carried Figs. 13 and i by the pistons are automatically performed by suitable mechanical devices in a manner that will be hereinafter described'.

My invention also embraces several new pri nei ples of construction in several ofthe subordinate parts of the machine, which may be sepaaeter without using the other parts of the mathemode ofconstructingand operatingthe dies which shape and' mold the parts of the button to form and secure them together, and consists in forming the dies in separate parts, capable of different movements, which I call composite dies,77 in combination with suitable actuating mechanism that will change the positions of such parts in their proper order, and cause them to co-operate successively with an opposing die, so that several separate operations may be performed upon the inclosed material before it is released therefrom. The second of these relates to the manner of arranging the dies so as to form at the same time both the back and face parts of the button, preparatory to uniting them together, and consists in the employment of a duplex series ofbed-dies, one half of which receive the materials to forml the back part, and the other the materials to form the face part, and so arranged as to act alternately in combination with two pistons carrying co-operating dies, by which the preparation of both parts of the button goes on simultaneously. The third of these relates to the Inode of operation by which the back and face parts of the button are put together after they have been formed and prepared in the dies, as before stated, and consists in so combining the bed-die which forms the face part and the bed-die which forms the back part with the die which is carried by the piston and alternately co-operates with both of them that the face part, when it is prepared, is transferred from the bed-die to that carried by the piston, which then, co-operating with the bed-die that forms the back, unites the two parts and secures them together. Other novcities in construction will also be shown in the description of the machine.

A isthe frame or bed of the machine, upon which the working parts are severally arranged, as shown.

rately employed in other machines of this charl chine. The first that l will enumerate relates to B is a horizontal revolving table mounted l upon the top of a vertical shaft, B', and resting upon the bed A of the machine. Around the circumference of this table are arranged a duplex series of bed-dies, G C', placed alternately at equal distances apart, with their axes vertical.

Upon the top of the bed A two upright frames, D, are secured, which are placed at opposite sides of the revolving table and over hang the saine and carry two pistons, E E', which work in guides D on the frames. These pistons carry dies F F at their lower ends, which co-operate with the dies C C on the rev'olving table as they are successively brought beneath the pistons.

G is the main shaft, which receives the pow# er and carries the cams that give motion to the several operative parts ot' thel machine. The two cams H, by means ot' the rollers H on the sliding pieces l and the rods I, which lead up to the pistons E E, give to the pistons a vertical reciprocating` movement of the proper extent to bring theirrespective dies to the bt ddies, so as to operate upon the materials that are placed upon them to form the parts of the button.

J is a cam which raises and lowers the lever L, upon the upper side of which is a projection, L', which, lying beneath the die which is under the piston E when it is raised, comes in contact with the lower end of the central portion ofthe die C and raises it up to co-opcrate with the die F upon the piston, as will be hereinafter described. The height to which the projections L shall be raised is adjusted by means of the wedge-formed bearing` LZ, upon which the cam Jacts, by moving it in or out by the screw L3, in a perfectly obvious i IDZIUUGF.

K is an eccentric, which, by its rod K, gives a reciprocating motion to a sliding block, M, which works in suitable guides in the bracket M.' The block M is connected bythe link N to the vibrating plate N, which oscillates upon the shaft B as an axis, and imparts to it a measured reciprocating movement. The shalt B revolves in the bracket B2, which is secured to t-he under side of the bed A, as is shown. Upon the lower end of'this shaft is iixed an index, B3,v having as many notches in its periphery as there are dies upon the revolving table B, which is worked by the pawl O, which is attached to the vibrating plate N, as shown. The index is held at rest between its periods of movement by the detent or pawl P, which is attached to the bed A, and is held'into the notches ofthe index by the spring P. Vhen the plate N is moved 'back to enable its pawl O to take into another notch, the projection m onthe plate slides under the projection p on the pawl P and raises it out ot" the notch ofthe index. which allows the index to turn forward by the pawl 0 on the return movement-of the plate N, when the pawl P falls into f the next notch and again fastens the table in position. The notches of the index have-such below the bottom ofthe table.

lpart of the inner die, b.

a relation to thc bed-dies as to bring them in succession accuratelyunder the dies on the piston when at rest.

The pistons E E are made hollow, with a bore extending from the lower end to a mortise near the middle, as is shown. In this mortise is placed a circular block of metal, Q,

-which l call a revolving chock,77 the periphery of which is cut away at three equidistant spaces to a smaller diameter, as is shown. This chock is mounted on an axis, Q. which works in bearings in the piston, and upon the outer end of which is iixed a ratchet, R, having six teeth, which is turned one notch every time that the piston rises by means of the pawl R', which is attached to the frame D in a perfectly obvious manner, and this brings the full part of the periphery and the cavity alternately opposite to the center or bore ot' the piston. The pawl R is held up to the ratchet by the spring R2. W'ithin the bore of the piston a stem works, which is connected with the movable part of the upper die, and extends upward to the under surface of the revolving chock Q, and when the full part of the chock is opposite the stem the die attached to it,when the piston descends, is held in an extended position; but when the cavity ofthe chock comes opposite to the stem the part of the die attached to it is allowed to recede. By this means each piston is enabled to work only with every other bed-die in the series, or with every bed-die in two positions alternately.

The bed-dies C and C are each made with a stock, a, all of which are iixed in the table B ina circle at equal distances apart, near the periphery, as shown, and made with a hole or bore extending through the center the whole length.

The dies C are those which form the back part ofthe button, and have an inner die, l), provided with a long shank or spindle, b, which is fitted to the hole in the stock d. s0 as to slide therein, and extends some distance The upper part of the inner die is made of a diameter and shape to correspond to the form of the back part 0f the button; and when it is at its lowest point it rests upon the top of the stock aby the shoulder b2, as is seen in Figs. 11 and l2. At thecenter ofthe face of this` die a recess, c, is made ot' a diameter equal to that of the project-ing part of the tuft or canvas at the back part ot' the button, by which it is attached to the garment. At some distance above the lower end of the spindle b a portion ofit, b, is made of a smaller diameter, which is joined to the other part by the conical portions c. W'ithin this space a pin, e, projects when the die b is raised, which pin has a conical point and slides through the side ot' the stock a, and is pressed inward by the springf. Upon the top ofthe stock a is placed the outer die, d, which surrounds the upper At the upper interior corner .it is made with a rabbet, d', which serves as a guide in which to place the blank scribed.

circular piece .otcanvas 4,-which forms thel tuft, as is seen in Fig. 10, and is also provided with a small curved portion. d2, immediately beneath this, which assists in closing the parts of the button together, as will be de- The dies C are those which form the face part ofthe button. The inner die, g, is tixed in the stock a, and is of the proper Vform to receive the shell of metal or other substance which gives shape to the face ofthe button. The outer die, h, surrounds the inner die, g. and is of a diameter equal to the diameter of the button. The upper inner corner is also formed with a rabbet, h', which serves as a guide to the circular blank of material l, that forms the face or cover of the button. This die rests upon the sleeve j, which slides up and down a short distance upon the outside ofthe stock a, the extent ofits movement being controlled by the pin t, which passes through a slot in the slcevej, and is fixed in the stock a. rIjhe sleeve j and die li are held np by the helical springl j', which is coiled around the sleeve and rests upon the table, as is shown in the drawings. The movable die F, which, in connection with the bed-dies C, forms the back part of the buttons, is attached to the lower end of the pistons E by a long shank, k, which extends upward through the bore of the piston to the chock Q. 1t is forced downward. by the helical spring Z, which is coiled around the shank and rests upon the shoulder l. Its motion is limited by the pin la', which works ih the slots m' in the lower part of the piston, as is shown in the drawings. To make the back of the button with a metalliccollet iu it, the face ofthe die Fis made with a low rounded projection, s, to'work in the central cavity of the die b, to form the projecting part of the tuft. The movable die F', which, in connection with the beddie C', forms the faces ofthe buttons, is attached to the opposite piston, The central die, n. is of the same diameter as the outside of the button, and is fixed to its piston and moves with it. The outer die, o, surrounds the die n, and is attached to the sleevep, which slides up and down a short distance upon the outside of the piston and has its face made of the form shown in the drawings. Within the bore ofthe piston the spindle o slides up and down, the lower end of which is connected with the sleeve p by means of the cross-bar q, which works through slotsp2 in the sides of the piston. and is fast in the spindle and the sleeve. The die ois forced downward by the helical springfixwhich is coiled around the spindle o within the hollow ofthe piston, as is shown in the drawings. The upper end of the spindle works against the lower side of the chock Q. v

S is a raised central plate or tray upon the revolving table within the row of dies, upon which to carry the detached guidingrings T, Figs. 13 and 14, which are .used in making a Certain kind of button, the manner ot' using enlarged size.

comes under the movable die F',

which-guiding-pieces will be hereinafter de;V scribed.. i

The operationof the' machine is as follows:` Power is applied to the main shaft to revolveit about sixty revolutions (more or less) per` lminute, and at each revolution brings the pistons down at the same time upon the beddies beneath them, which at that time are at rest.-

Vhen the 4pistons have risen, the revolving vtable is moved round one notch of the index in the direction shown by the arrow, by the mechanism described, which brings the next dies in the series under the pistons. As the pistons rise,the chocks Q are rotated one notch by thin ratchets, and bring the full parts and cavities alternately opposite to the spindles that are attached to the movable dies, and which work within the pistons. The machine 4is operated by two attcndants-one at each side of the machine, as at Xaiid Z-supplied :with the materials of which the button is composed, and which consist in a button of the kind shown in Fig. l5, of a circular piece of cloth, l, or other material desired, to form the cover or face, a shell of metal, 2, of the form of theface of the button, with its edges turned back so as to be paralel to each other, a circular piece of thick paper or other material, 8, to till the interior, a circular piece of canvas, Lt, to form the t-ult, and a metal collet. 5, of the form shown, to form the back, all of which are shown separately in section in Fig. l5 of The operator at X puts a collet, 5, into the die C, and lays the piece ofcanvas to form the tuft upon the rabbet of the outside die, d, as is shown in Fig. 1t), and when, by, the movement of the table, this die has come under the die F, the canvas is first forced down by the central projection, s, into the cavity c, and then by a continuation of the movement of the die F, the inner beddie, b, is forced downward by overcoming theresiste nce ofthe springj and pushing back the pin e into the position shown in Fig. 1l. When this takes place, the chock Q over the die F is placed so that its full part is presented to the top end ofthe spindle/c, which holds the dic extended downward. At the next revolution of the main shaft the bed-die C is brought under the die F empty, and at this time, the chock Q having been turned so as to `bring a cavity over the spindle k of the die, when the piston descends the die is pushed back into the piston as it comes in contact with the central part of the bed die, but performs no other operation. Vhen the bed-die C, holdingthecollet and tuft pressed into it, has passed this piston to the side Z of the machine, the other at tendant places the paper blank into it, as is seen in the lower die of Fig. 12,. and also places a metal shell, 2, upon the central part, g, of the die C, with its lianges downward, and upon the rabbet it of the outer die, h, the circular piece l forthe cover is placed. Vt'hen this die the full part of its chock is over the spindle o', so that when the piston descends it holds the outer die, o, extended, and as it coines in contact with the outer bed-die, 7L,4 the latter is pushed downward, compressing the spring j, which turns the covering l downward over the shell 2 and deposits them both in the upper die, which takes them up with it when the piston rises, as is shown in Fig. l2. The table is then turned again, which brings the next beddie C, carrying the collet, the tutt, and the paper filling-piece beneath the die F', holding` the covering and shell, with the chock turned so as to present a cavity over the spindle o', as seen in Fig. 12. The piston then descends, when the outer diego, coming in contact with the outer bed-die, d, is arrested, and the inner die, a, pushes the covering and1 shell down onto the bed-die d, by which the edge of the covering which projects beyond the shell is turned inward by the curved surface dt ot' thel die d immediately below the rabbet rl. At this time the lower end ofthe spindle b of the inner die. b, being over the projection Ll ot' the Vlever L, is raised by the cam J, which movement forces the back part ot' the button upward into the face part, carrying forward and doubling the edge ot' the covering over the edge ot' the shell, and by a further compression ofth'eiparts thus inclosed within the dies the curved part d'l of the outer dic, d, clinches the edge ofthe shell over the edge ot' the collet, brings the button to the proper form, and holdsthe coveringand tuft, tirmly between them, as is shown in Fig. 9. lNVhcn the piston has risen and the bed-die has passed out vfrom beneath the piston, the spindle b will have passed off from the projection L and dropped down so as to rest upon the pin e in the recess Il when the button is removed by the operator. Thus it will be seen that the die F works with the beddie C only, while the die F/ works with both of the bed-dies C and G.

In making buttons without the collet-such as is shown in Fig. :L6-the operator at X first lays the piece 4, to form the tutt, upon the rabbet d ot' the bed-die d, and then places over the same a guiding-ring, T, as is shown in Fig. 13. in which is placed the paper filling-piece 3, so that when the bed-die has come under the piston F the paper will be forced down into the tuft truly and shaped to form, as is seen in Fig. 14. After the bed-die has co-operated with the movable die F, the guiding-ring T is removed by the operator at Z, to enable the bed-die to co-operatewith the other movable die, F', as before described, and is placed upon the tray S within the row of dies, from which it is taken by the other operator, as required tor use.

Instead of using detached guidingrings, as shown, I have used automatic guides, which were automatically applied to and removed from the appropriate bed-dies; but such construction complicatesthe machinery, and in practice I prefer the detached rings; and other subordinate devices lare used in connection with this machine, which are not herein de scribed, as theyl do not affect the Inode of operation oi the machine; and although I have described but one modification ofthe mechanism for making a different kind of button from that iirst described, yet other similar modifications would be required in making other kinds of buttons, such as are familiar in this manufacture.

VWhat I claim as myinvention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A machine for forming and covering buttons automatically, constructed and operating substantially as described.

2. Forming the dies in several detached parts capable of having different movements, in combination with suitablemechanical devices'for changing the positions of such parts in their proper order and causing them to cooperate with the opposing die or dies, so that several separate operations may be performed in succession upon the inclosedl material before it is released therefrom, substantially as described.

8. The combination of two series of bed-dies arranged alternately in the same line ot' movement, which receive and form the materials to make the buttons-one ot' them the back parts and the other the face parts-with two cooperating movable dies, by which the preparation ot' both parts ot' the button goes on simultaneously, substantially as described.

4. Combining the die which forms and holds one part ofthe button with the die that forms and holds the other part, so that by their cooperation the two parts will be forced together' and secured, substantially as described.

5. The combination ofthe movable dies with the revolving chock or its equivalent, substantially' as described.

(5. The combination ofthe bed-die that forms the back partot' the button with the lever L, or its equivalent, that actuates the same, substantially as described.

7 The combination, with thel several composite dies, ot' the means described, or their equivalents,'for producing a yielding resist- .ance to the change in the relative positions of their several parts, substantially as described.

8. The employment of a removable guidingring, in combination with the dies that receive the paper filling-piece or its equivalent, sub stantially as described.

. WM. W. WADE.

Vitnesses:

N. C. LOMBARD, F. S. GoGIN. 

